


Overgrowth

by randomclustermissile



Series: Doctor Who x Portal AU [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005), Portal (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2020-01-13 18:35:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18474727
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomclustermissile/pseuds/randomclustermissile
Summary: This is a sequel to "The Dead Lab" available on my list of works. Read that one first :DSPOILERS FOR PORTAL 2!This story takes place long, long after the trio had destroyed GLaDOs and escaped from Aperture. The Doctor, now a completely new man with a completely face, decides to pay an old friend a visit. But the TARDIS has malfunctioned again, and he's not where... or rather when he expected.





	1. Prologue

"Hello! You have been in suspension for _*krrsh*_ 50  _*krrsh*_ days." 

 

"Wha-?" The woman managed to mutter as she gathered her senses. She looked around. She was in a well-lit room that roughly resembled a hotel room, fit with a small TV, a mini fridge, a large window with closed blinds, a couple paintings, and an empty wardrobe. 

 

"In compliance with state and federal regulations..." A robotic voice called over the loudspeaker. The woman rubbed her head. "All testing candidates in the Aperture Science Extended Relaxation Centre, must be revived periodically for a mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise."

 

The woman stretched and yawned. "50 days?" She thought. "Christ, that's a lot." Her head was swimming, but only slightly. She managed to clear her head before the voice spoke again.

 

"You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look up at the ceiling." 

 

A loud alarm noise goes off. She was very confused. "That's all I have to do?" She looked left and right, anywhere except the ceiling for a camera. When she failed to find one, she simply shrugged and obliged.

 

"Good. You will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, look down at the floor."

 

The woman obeyed. Her neck felt well-stretched, but the rest of her muscles still ached.

 

"Good. This completes the gymnastic portion of your mandatory physical and mental wellness exercise." 

 

The woman, for the third time since she woke, shrugged again. 

 

"There is a framed painting on the wall. Please go stand in front of it." The voice commanded. "This is art. When you hear a buzzer, stare at the art." After a few brief seconds of ticking noises, the voice spoke again. "You should know feel mentally reinvigorated. If you suspect that staring at art has not provided the required intellectual sustenance, reflect briefly on this classical music."

 

The room was filled with the sound of a string piece before being loudly interrupted by the buzzer, which was now beginning to annoy the woman. Even though the exercises were somewhat simplistic in nature, the woman found that she felt quite nice. 

 

"Good. Now please return to your bed."

 

With a smile, the woman fell asleep. 

 


	2. A Strange Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Much time has passed since The Doctor last saw the elusive Chell. After Clara "died", The Doctor felt he needed to visit Chell again, but the TARDIS protests again, with much more serious consequences this time...

"Bill Potts. My dear Bill Potts how are you this fine morning?" 

 

"Good..." Bill gave the old Doctor a strange look. He was unusually cheery considering what just happened. It was also pouring with rain outside, but she guesses that doesn't matter to someone who can literally go anywhere at any time. 

 

"Wonderful, yes wonderful." He said quietly. He started his regime of pacing around the TARDIS' vast space muttering muttering to himself. Bill rolled her eyes. 

 

"You're in an odd mood, Doctor." Bill pointed out.

 

"Well yes I've just been thinking about something."

 

"Since are you not thinking about something?" She muttered under her breath.

 

"What was that, sorry?"

 

"Oh nothing, Doctor!" 

 

"Yes. I should probably do that." 

 

Bill looked at him oddly, as she very regularly did. "Was that to me or..."

 

"I'l go visit her." The Doctor said, ignoring Bill completely. Bill shrugged and didn't bother asking who. The Doctor started pressing a few buttons and pulling the occasional lever and whirred the TARDIS to life. "It's been a while now, my dear." He spoke endearingly to his TARDIS, something that Bill found very weird and unconventional but had gotten used to it. "Please don't go haywire this time, in Layman's terms."

 

"What do you mean, 'go haywir-'" Bill was suddenly thrust onto the control panel in the centre of the TARDIS as it swung wildly. Cables flung loose, sparking with electrical energy and an alarm oh-so familiar to the Doctor blared throughout the cabin. 

 

"Oh Jiminy Crickets not again." The Doctor muttered nonchalantly, grasping for dear life onto the main lever. 

 

"What's happening Doctor?" Bill yelled in a slight panic. She was used to the TARDIS bumping around, but not like this. 

 

"Oh, we're just going somewhere the TARDIS doesn't seem to like. I imagine it's got something to do with the strange electric fields emanating from it." 

 

"Ya wha?" 

 

"Odd really, considering the facility was destroyed. Maybe they're coming from underneath and she hasn't doing anything about it." 

 

The TARDIS slowed to a gradual halt, and the Doctor collapsed to the floor. Bill ran over and helped him up.

 

"Well at least the landing was smoother than last time." The Doctor said, brushing dust off his coat. "Last time we were thrown out of the TARDIS and woke up in a glass box." He checked the monitors of the TARDIS, which instead of providing a visual feed of the outside, simply read 7 numbers, flashing on off the screen. "Hmm. That doesn't seem good."

 

"9999999? That's ominous. Why are we here anyway?"

 

The Doctor walked towards the TARDIS doors and opened them. "To see an-" He stopped suddenly.

 

"To see what?" Bill followed him out of the TARDIS.

 

"An old friend." He finished. He looked around. His entire vision was shrouded in darkness. There was a faint hit of moisture in the air, and a cool breeze blowing from all around. He reached his arm up and hit metal just above his head. He stomped below him, to hear the blatant reverberation of the same metal. "Interesting. We're smushed between two shipping containers." 

 

"Odd." Bill began walking forward, until the Doctor stopped her. 

 

"Wait." The Doctor hold his arm out in front. He picked up a piece of metal that had rusted off and threw it in front of him. It disappeared below him down into an empty chasm. Bill shuddered. 

 

"So we're trapped."

 

"Essentially."

  
"We should go back inside and leave. Clearly wherever we are she's not here."

 

"Stop. I hear voices. Coming from directly below us."

 

*

 

_10 minutes earlier..._

 

"Good morn-  _*nwoo*_ You have been in suspension for-"

 

"99999  _*krsshh*_ 99  _*krsshh*_ " 

 

Two different robotic voices echoed through the motel room. The woman stirred. She couldn't think. She could barely make out the details in front of her. She couldn't remember her name. She could see the TV on the back wall, flashing between static and error messages. She could see mold, moss, and grime crawling along the walls. Vegetation grew in through the windows and the cracks in the ceiling. The first voice, that she vaguely remembers, continued in the background, but she could no longer hear it. Her mind was filled with the noise of static and tinnitus, as well as the very annoying knock to her left. She walked towards the source of the knock.

 

"Hello?" A voice called from outside a wooden door. "Anyone in there?" 

 

The woman looked down at her hands. Although it was dark, the light from the TV was enough for her to see clearly. She fumbled around for a bit before finally grasping the door handle and pulling it open.

 

"Ha- AH!" The voice screamed. "Oh God." It was a little white ball with a bright blue eye, hanging from a rail on which it moved. The woman wondered how it could knock considering it didn't have any limbs. "You look terr- gah uh... Good. You're looking good actually." The little ball moved his eye anxiously around. The woman found it odd that a little robot could express - let alone feel - so much emotion. The ball moved in on the rail towards the centre of the motel room just above the bed. "Are you okay? Ah- don't answer that. I'm sure you'll be fine. There's plenty of time to recover."

 

 _"His voice is vaguely human and... british?"_ The woman thought to herself. _"Why does he remind me of someone..."_ Her thoughts were interrupted by the robotic voice blaring through her room. 

 

"Please prepare for emergency evacuation."

 

"STAY CALM!" The little ball quickly cried in response. "St-Stay calm, prepare, that's all they're saying, prepare..." 

 

The woman was having a hard job staying calm, although she was very aware she was more calm than the strange talking ball.

 

"It's all fine, alright." The ball continued, sounding much more calm than before. "Don't move. I'm gonna get us out of here." With that, the ball disappeared up inside a little hole in the ceiling, little doors closing behind him. 

 

A loud whirring noise echoed outside the little room, and the room shook with a "Bang!" The woman jumped, before standing stock still on her feet. 

 

"You're alright down there?" The ball called from the ceiling. "Can you hear me?"

 

The woman wanted to answer, but couldn't figure out how. _"Voice is a little muffled"_ she thought to herself. 

 

"Hello?" The ball called again. The whirring suddenly stopped, and he came back through the ceiling again to face her. He had an apologetic look in his eye. "Most test subjects do experience some, uh, cognitive deterioration after a few months in suspension." He looked down at the ground beside the bed and made a noise that sounded like he was clearing his throat. "Now you've been under for QUITE a lot longer..."

 

The woman's eyes went wide. _"How much longer?"_ She thought to herself. She looked at the bed and saw a mould on the bed where she had sunk into the mattress. She shuddered.

 

"And it's not out of the question..." The ball shook it's body sadly. "...that you might have a VERY minor case of serious brain damage. But don't be alarmed." 

 

It was getting harder and harder to understand the ball. Her mind began swimming. She started pacing around to get rid of the feeling, but it just made it worse.

 

"But if you do feel alarmed, try to hold on to that feeling! Because that is the proper reaction to being told you have brain damage." 

 

The woman stopped pacing and turned to look at the ball, a blank expression on her face. The robot's voice was turning into static. She could tell he was saying words, but she couldn't decipher what that meant. The ball seemed to see this, so he asked.

 

"Do you understand what I'm saying? At all? Does any of this, make any sense? Just tell just say yes." 

 

 _"JUMP."_   Was all she heard, so she did.

 

"Ok. What you're doing is there is jumping, you just jumped." He shook his body again. "But never mind. Say apple. APPLE."

 

 _"JUMP."_ And she did. A loud alarm blared outside the motel room, which the woman no longer suspected was a regular motel room. 

 

"Ok you know what? Close enough." The ball had clearly given up and had much more pressing matters to worry about. "Just hold tight." He disappeared back into the ceiling.

 

"All Reactor Core safeguards are now non-functional. Please prepare for Reactor Core meltdown." The robotic voice blared over the loudspeaker. Loud bangs reverberated around the suspension chamber and chunks of wall started breaking off.

 

"Oh hello." The ball spoke from the ceiling. "I didn't expect you two to be up here. Or anyone in fact..." 

 

"What's happening?" The voice of an Englishwoman cried. The woman was confused. 

 

"Ok so I'm pretty hot water here." The ball said. "I highly recommend hanging on." 

 

The woman heard two loud thumps on the ceiling and cried out. The container she was trapped in started moving upwards.

 

"Yeah sorry. Test subject." The ball said to the thumpers above. "How are you doing down there? You still holding on?" He called to the woman. The woman couldn't even respond. "Yeah she's brain damaged. Can't really talk." He whispered loudly to the thumpers. 

 

"Brain damaged? Why?" Called a very old Scottish man's voice. 

 

"She's had roughly 20-50 odd thousand years in cryogenic suspension. Lost track of time really. I've only been working here recently." 

 

"And where are we exactly?" 

 

"Relaxation centre for dormant test subjects. You see the reserve power ran out, so of course the whole relaxation centre stops waking up the bloody test subjects." The container started moving forward, so she gripped onto her mini-fridge for dear life. "And of course-" The container slammed against a couple other containers. "Nobody tells me anything, noooo why should they tell me anything?" He moaned sarcastically. "Why should I be kept informed? You know about the life functions of the ten thousand bloody test subjects I'm supposed to be in charge of."

 

Enough of the wall had broken away for her to glance at her surroundings outside the container. She was in a large facility with no ceiling and seemingly no floor, all filled with shipping containers identical to hers, all stacked neatly on top of each other. Many had been knocked over by the ball's clumsiness. 

 

"I thought this facility was destroyed." The Scottish man said, a hint of disappointment but mostly intrigue in his voice. 

 

"Only parts of it were. The woman who ran the place was killed, and it's just fallen into disrepair since. A few of us robots who weren't decommissioned, like myself, were instructed to keep the place running. Anyway, hold on, this bit's a bit triCKY!" There was a loud bang as the container collided with another container, knocking it down into the abyss. The ball didn't even notice. "Woah it's close!" He cried. "Can you see? Am I gonna make it through? Have I got enough space?"

 

The woman turned to see that the container she could very likely fall out of was heading at high speed straight towards a very small gap between two containers. She closed her eyes and braced for impact. 

 

"Ah I just can't concentrate." The ball sounded exasperated. "And who's fault, do you think it's gonna be, when the management comes down here, and finds ten thousand flippin' vegetables."

 

"Well I hope this test subject isn't a vegetable yet, considering you seem so hell-bent on getting her out of here." Called the strange young woman from above. She was clearly frightened. 

 

"Well she's been walking around and emoting at least. But she did jump when I asked her to say apple." 

 

No response from that one. 

 

_CRASH!_

 

"Ah! Yeah I hit that one." The ball cried as about 2 or 3 more containers descended into the chasm below. "Ok listen, if anyone asks, and no-one's gonna ask, don't worry, but if anyone asks, as far as you know, the last time you checked, everyone looked pretty much alive. Alright? Not dead, haha."

 

"You seem pretty nervous about this." The Scottish man called.

 

"Every foreman I've ever worked for fired me for 'incompetence.'" The ball huffed. "Alright, almost there."

 

"We're heading straight into a brick wall." 

 

"Yes I'm aware. On the other side of that wall, is one of the old testing tracks. There's a piece of equipment in there, that we're gonna need to get out of here."

 

"Oh bollocks I know where this is going."

 

"I think this is a docking station. Get ready!" The container swung backwards, before slamming like a hammer into the wall, knocking some bricks loose. "Good news, that is not a docking station. So there's one mystery solved."

 

"That clearly says docking station." The Englishwoman said.

 

"Not now Bill." The Scottish man replied in a harsh whisper.

 

"I'm gonna attempt a manual override on this wall, could get a bit technical, hold on."

 

 _SLAM!_ Several small bricks fell loose, but not much else. 

 

"Almost there, remember, you're looking for a gun that makes holes. Not bullet holes, but- Don't worry you'll figure it out."

 

"Bollocks. I know exactly what he's talking about." The old man said.

 

"What do you mean, Doctor?" Bill said.

 

"We're about to find out!" The Doctor laughed. 

 

"Seriously do hold on this time." The ball said, before heaving the container right through the wall with an almighty  _BANG!_

 

"Holy Fuck!" Bill cried. The woman had to suppress a laugh.

 

"Well, there we go." The ball said from behind her. He was back inside the container. "Now I'll be honest, you are probably in no fit state to run this kind of gauntlet. But if those other two fellows help you out, we should be fine. Just do your best, and I'll meet you up ahead. Cheerio!" 

 

The woman jumped in, shielding herself from the broken glass.

 

"My God." The man called the Doctor cried.

 

The woman looked up. She saw a tall thin white man with wild frizzy white hair and sunken eyes and a tall black woman with even wilder and frizzier black hair.

 

"It's really her. Chell."


	3. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited? To Chell, she's just encountered two strangers. To Bill, she's just encountered one stranger. To the Doctor, he's thrust himself into a whole world of... well not even he knows. Everything is the same, and yet everything is different. They now must find a way through the chambers and get Chell and his companion once again, out of Aperture. But an unexpected fall leads them to something rather sinister...

"The woman you were looking for? Twenty to fifty thousand years in the future?"

 

"Exactly her. Let's jump down. She'll need our help." The Doctor turned to the woman. "We're going to jump down." He spoke very slowly and clearly. "Move out of the way."

 

The woman hesitated, as if to process the information, then moved. The pair jumped, and landed safely on the broken glass next to her.

 

"Hello old friend. You probably won't remember me, due to your long period of sleep, quite nasty brain damage and the fact that I look and sound completely different since we last met, but I remember you." The Doctor smiled at her. "Come, we have much to talk about."   
  


The woman simply did not have the energy to ask questions, although she felt incredibly confused. She just simply smiled in return and walked in front.    
  


"She took that well." The woman heard Bill not-so-subtly say to the Doctor.   
  


"Well when you've been through what she's been through, you tend to not really care about random things. She literally woke up in a container and slammed into a wall."   
  


"Fair enough." Bill shrugged.    
  


"She still clearly has her puzzle-solving skills intact, however!" The Doctor cried, beaming as the woman placed the large cube on the large button. "Well done." The Doctor smiled at her.   
  


The woman felt oddly happy at this, like a young child receiving praise for stacking blocks for the first time.

 

"That's a large cube." Bill pointed out.

 

"Oh believe me that's not the strangest thing about this place."

 

"Why are there observation windows if no-one's watching us?"   
  


The woman froze in her tracks. _"Oh God. She doesn't know."_  She thought to herself.   
  


"Ah. That's a very loaded question." The Doctor said. "Not one I'm going to get into right now." 

 

"Oh. Alright then." A camera moved to focus on Bill, and she shuddered and hurried onward. "This place gives me the creeps." 

 

"That's the smartest thing you've said thus far, my dear Bill."   
  


"Well that's reassuring."    
  


The woman turned around and assessed the other two more clearly. The Doctor was wearing a pair of grey dress pants, a clean maroon velvet jacket with a black waistcoat and a white shirt underneath, but no tie. Bill had a t-shirt with a woman's face plastered onto a checkerboard pattern, tight sweatpants and a denim jacket with several pins and patches on it, including a rainbow flag. The woman examined the rainbow flag closely, making Bill blush a little. The woman smiled. _"She's vaguely cute."_  She thought.

 

“I recognise most of these test chambers.” The Doctor said, looking around. “But they’re all overgrown and rusted now.” 

 

The woman held out an arm in front of her suddenly, stopping Bill in her tracks. The Doctor had already stopped. 

 

“Oh hello! Yes! I’m back, but only briefly. I’m not really allowed to be over here.” The little white ball had returned. The woman smiled at him, but he didn’t notice. “Anyway my name’s Wheatley.” A little piece of the wall retracts upwards, and a shelf containing two sets of long-fall boots pops out. The Doctor takes them both and gives one set to Bill.

 

“Put these on.” The Doctor says, putting them on over his regular shoes. 

 

“Why?”

 

The Doctor nods to the woman, who jumps off the platform she’s standing on to the ground a two metres below. She then waves up to Bill and points to her boots.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Yeah, considering the bottomless pit we faced earlier, these boots are really going to be helpful to get us outta here.” Wheatley said. “Well, not for me, but you get what I mean. Anyway, carry on!” He backtracked around the corner and sped off down the rail. After solving the testchamber, the three walked through an electrical grid towards an elevator. 

 

“What was that thing we just walked through? I feel weird.” Bill asked.

 

“It’s called an emancipation grid.” The Doctor replied. “It essentially vaporises any equipment not authorised to leave the testchamber.” 

 

The woman tried to speak, but found herself unable to respond. She instead pointed to the wall with her finger and fired, miming a portal gun.

 

“Yes, thank you Chell. It also gets rid of any portals from the testing area.”

 

Chell. She liked that. She decided to keep that name. 

 

“Still cannot get over the whole portals thing. Walking through holes? Not a fan.” Bill stared wide-eyed at the ground and shook her head.

 

“Well eventually we get to make our own portals, and that’s where the real fun begins.” The Doctor grimaced. “Remember, these are puzzles, and they do get dangerous.”

 

“Not reassuring, Doctor!” Bill shrieked.

 

As they walked down the stairs to the elevator, the Doctor stopped, as did Chell.

 

“Funny, these stairs look-” The Doctor started

 

“Different.” Chell muttered. 

 

“Ah, welcome back my dear. Glad to see you’re getting better.” 

 

Chell turned around and smiled at the Doctor, unable to say anything more. They stepped into the elevator together, Bill noticeably uncomfortable. 

 

“If you feel liquid running down your neck, relax.” The robotic voice spoke through a receiver at the top of the elevator. 

“Oh God not this guy again.” Bill groaned.

 

“Lie on your back, and apply immediate pressure to your temples. You are simply experiencing a rare reaction, in which the material emancipation grill may have emancipated the ear tubes inside your head.”

 

“Well that’s definitely not concerning.” 

 

“But is very familiar.” The Doctor said, before turning to Chell. “Whoever this new thing is, it’s saying very similar things to what SHE did before she went, well, you know.”

 

Chell looked at him and raised an eyebrow. 

 

“Yes I know she was always insane, but I meant before we took off that morality core and tried to poison us with moon-rock neurotoxin.” 

 

“Hold on, what the fuck?” Bill asked. “What on Earth have you dragged me into.”

 

“Oh don’t worry, we killed the AI we were talking about.”   
  


“AI!?” Bill briskly followed him out of the elevator. “Doctor what the hell!?” 

 

“It’s complicated. There’s a lot to explain.”

 

“LIKE HELL THERE IS!” Bill shouted. “Why would you voluntarily drag me somewhere where we could have been killed by some vicious mad woman?”

 

“Ok, to be fair, I didn’t expect us to be: A, sent so far into the future or B, wound up back in the testchambers we fought our way out of last time.” The Doctor held up his hands, as if in surrender. Chell looked back and forth between the two, and was starting to get freaked out.

 

“Why did the TARDIS protest anyway, huh? And what was so important about seeing a quote unquote, ‘old friend’ anyway!?”

 

“TARDIS?” Chell repeated. She stood staring at them, mouth wide open. “Oh my God, I remember.” She ran over and hugged the Doctor. “Doctor. It’s really you.”

 

“Yes, my dear Chell.” He hugged her back. 

 

“You’re old.” She smiled and let go. “You look completely different.”

 

“Oh you have no idea.” He smiled back.

 

“This is your new friend, huh?” She turned to Bill. “Nice to meet you.” She shakes her hand. 

 

“Nice to meet you too.” Bill said slowly, unable to grasp the situation. “I thought you said she was brain-damaged?” She whispered to the Doctor.

 

“Shock I imagine.” He whispered back.

 

“God it feels good to be able talk again. Not sure WHAT was keeping me back. It’s like a memory of my past just fired all my synapses.”

 

“Hehe, yeah.” The Doctor smiled weakly at her and looked away, knowing what was about to come. 

 

“How’s Clara? I noticed she’s not… with you.” Chell asked, looking slightly anxiously at the Doctor.

 

“Clara… is... “ The Doctor hesitated. “Well…”

 

“Oh God…” Chell’s face went pale. “I knew your line of work was dangerous, but…” 

 

“I’m so sorry.” The Doctor said. “There was nothing I could do.” 

 

“As it is with a lot of things, I imagine.” Chell held back some tears. “How many have you lost?” 

 

“Too many to count.” The Doctor said solemnly, albeit a little too quickly. “I’m sorry. I knew how much you loved her.” 

 

Bill looked at them oddly. She was astonished that Chell took it so well. And the Doctor’s previous companions just… died? Was that gonna happen to her? She couldn’t bear thinking about it. She cleared her throat and broke the silence. “We should continue. We have far to go.” 

 

“Yes, yes of course.” The Doctor replied quietly.

 

As they walked up the stairs and through the door, they saw a platform below them through the window with a little pedestal, and a rail along the right-hand wall. 

 

“Hey hey! You made it!” Wheatley traveled along the rail to greet them. “There should be a portal device on that podium over there. Can’t see it though. Do you wanna have a look?”

 

Chell nodded and walked over to the podium, noting that she too, could not see the famous portal gun. She walked closer. 

 

“OH!” Wheatley cried, as the ground fell beneath Chell and she descended metres down into a vast drain. “Hello? Can you see the portal gun? Also are you alive? That’s important should have asked that first.” He yelled from above. “You better follow her down, just in case she’s… died. Or whatever.” He said to Bill and the Doctor.

 

The Doctor nodded, and jumped down the now-open hole below. 

 

“Christ, here goes nothing.” Bill said, and jumped above him, screaming the whole way down. “OOF!” She cried as she landed.    
  


“These boots are great aren’t they?” The Doctor chuckled, waving his uninjured foot in the air. 

 

“Yeah, couldn’t feel a thing.” Bill noted. 

 

“I’m gonna work on the assumption that you’re still alive, and I’m just gonna wait for you up ahead. I’ll wait one hour, then I’ll come back, and assuming I can locate your dead body, I’ll bury you. Alright? GO TEAM!” Wheatley cried. A metallic slide indicated that he had sped off down the rail. 

 

“Well that just happened.” Bill said, looking up above her. “Ugh, yuck!” Bill cried, noticing they had landed in some sewage water. 

  
“Don’t fuss it’s only 20% rusted metal. Approximately.” Chell shrugged. 

 

“Oh my god.” The Doctor breathed. “My, oh my you do have a fan Chell.” The Doctor’s voice was far away and echoed through the vast abyss. He was standing on top of a spiral staircase, surrounded by white panels, all lit up. Chell could make out some vague markings on some of the panels. She and Bill rushed towards him.

 

“Holy shit.” Bill breathed.

 

The panels were covered in different paintings, all depicting different things. Scientists, a piece of cake, a rat, a screaming woman, and a giant robot. But a large panel at the centre of them all, lay a bright, well-detailed painting of a woman in an orange jumpsuit.

 

“Me.” Chell breathed. 


	4. Rude Awakening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wheatley's first mistake of many.

"Why are there desks and monitors here? If this place is run by robots or whatever, why would they need them?" Bill asked. Chell stopped briefly and swallowed, but continued walking. With the mono-portal gun now in hand, they maneuvered their way across large gaps with ease. 

  
"Quick question, do you think you're ready for the truth?" The Doctor asked cautiously. 

 

"When you put it like that, probably not." Bill frowned. 

 

"Some emergency testing may require prolonged interaction with lethal military androids." The announcer's voice came over an invisible speaker.

 

"Well that's definitely not reassuring." Bill sighed.

 

Chell chuckled to herself slightly. The timing on that question and the announcer's voice was simply poetic. 

 

"Rest assured, that all military androids have been taught to read, and have been provided with one copy of the Laws of Robotics. To share." 

 

"Christ." The Doctor mumbled. As they bridged the last gap and headed towards the elevator, the announcer spoke again.

 

"Good. If you feel that a lethal military android has not respected your rights as detailed in the Laws of Robotics, please note it on your self-reporting form. A future Aperture Scientist Entitlement Associate will initiate the appropriate grievance filing paperwork." 

 

"Not a very efficient facility for one run by robots." Bill scoffed.

 

"Well that was never her style." The Doctor mumbled.

 

"Who?"

 

"GLaDOS." Chell responded as the elevator descended. "She's the lead AI behind this place. Or was. Until I destroyed her." 

 

"You  _destroyed_ her?" Bill said, astonished. 

 

"Yeah simple really. With the help of the Doctor and-" She paused. "Clara, of course."

 

"I see." Bill stepped closer to Chell, suddenly finding herself admiring her a lot more. She looked Chell up and down and noticed that Chell had clearly 'been in the wars' as her mother would have called it. Her jumpsuit was unzipped and tied around her waist. She wore a tank top with the Aperture logo on it. Old burns and scars marked her legs and arms. She even saw wounds that resembled bullet holes. She was incredibly muscly, especially her calves and thighs.  _"All that running and jumping I suppose."_ She thought to herself. 

 

"Yeah. Fired bunch of rockets that I simply directed towards her, then threw her broken parts into a furnace." Chell said non-chalantly.

 

"A-a furnace? She just had one lying there?"

 

"This is a strange facility, my friend."

 

"Quick question," Bill asked as they walked out of the elevator. "How on Earth did you get these?" She pointed to a large, old bullet wound near her collar bone. 

 

"If we're lucky, you won't have to find out."

 

"That's the thing, dear Chell, we're never lucky." The Doctor said, shaking his head. 

 

"Hold on... is that..." Bill started to say.

 

"Smooth Jazz???" Chell finished. 

 

Sure enough, smooth jazz started to play through the testchamber. It sounded nice for a few seconds, before it slowly became pitched down and fizzled into static.

 

"Odd." The Doctor simply said.

 

"My dad used to play smooth jazz when he got stressed." Chell said. "He would say, 'It's not that it actually calms me, it's just so hilarious to listen to I'm no long upset.' I thought that was funny as a kid, but remembering it now is just upsetting." 

 

"Do you think he left those drawings, down there?" 

 

"Had to. To draw me that clearly, must have been him."

 

"Is he still alive?" Bill asked.

 

"No way." Chell laughed sadly. "If he wasn't dead before the facility was destroyed, he is certainly now." 

 

"I thought you said GLaDOS was destroyed."

 

"Same difference." Chell's American accent drawled. "She  _is_ the facility. That's why it looks so overgrown and desolate now. The parts that didn't completely blow up have just slowly been maintained by lesser robots." She leaned into Bill's ear. "Take the ball, for instance." 

 

They laughed, and Chell slapped Bill's shoulder, taking her by great surprise. 

 

"Oh bollocks." The Doctor cursed quietly.

 

"What's up old man?" Chell said.

 

"We're on these ones now." 

 

"What do you mean?" Bill asked.

 

"Hope you're not afraid of heights, sweetie!" Chell laughed. "I'll get the cube. You stay here."

 

"Did she just call me-" Bill whispered.

 

"Yes. Yes she did." The Doctor whispered back. 

 

"HOLY SWEET JESUS IN HEAVEN!" Bill cried, watching as Chell jumped down into a massive hole. She watched as Chell flew out the orange portal way above her head and onto the platform on the other side. "How much of that do we have to do?" She asked the Doctor.

 

"Well I've since stopped recognising these testchambers. These ones are different. But I imagine a lot from here on in." 

 

After a couple more flings, Chell placed the cube on the button and placed her hands on her thighs, huffing and puffing. "Woah. Phew. God I've missed that. Come on over! Portals are in place for y'all." 

 

"Down the rabbit hole we go!" The Doctor grabbed Bill and jumped down towards the blue portal. Bill screamed the entire way.

 

"Ok that wasn't so bad." Bill aspirated after she landed. "These boots are incredible." She whispered. They walked through the open door. "Oh God not more." She looked up to the ceiling, the roof had entirely collapsed, so she could see sunlight through large slits of metal grating and reinforcements. She swore she heard a bird cawing up above. The light was so bright it was hard to tell if she was looking at the sun or at white clouds. Suddenly, she felt an arm around her waist. 

 

"Let's go!" Chell cried as she and Bill flung high into the air. Bill screamed again. 

 

"Please Dear God warn me before you do that!" Bill closed her eyes as she yelled. She turned away and massaged her temples. 

 

"Aw come on, it was just a bit of fun!" Chell laughed. "God I missed this. I hate testing, but this is the most fun part about it. Just flinging through the air without worrying about dying all the goddamn time." 

 

"Worrying about  _what!?_ _"_   Bill cried. 

 

"Don't worry about it. With GLaDOS dead we have no risk of dying. Wheatley wouldn't have directed us through deadly tests. He's trying to get us out of this dump, after all." 

 

The very next testchamber was completely broken. The wall where the orange portal should have been had fallen onto the ground, so they had no real exit. Chell simply fired through a hole in the wall, and found Wheatley on the other side.

 

"Oh brilliant! You did find a portal gun!" If he had a mouth, he would be beaming. "Do you know what, it just goes to show, people with brain damage are the real heroes, in the end, at the end of the day. Brave."

 

Bill opened her mouth to reply, but Chell shushed her. 

 

"It's funnier if he thinks I'm still mute." Chell whispered. Bill laughed. 

 

"Ok listen. Let me-" Wheatley sighed. "Lay something on you here it's pretty heavy. They told me, never ever ever, disengage myself from my management rail, or I would die."

 

"That's a bit extreme." Bill replied. 

 

"But, we're out of options here, so um..." He trailed off. Chell looked up and noticed that where the wall had broken, so had the management rail. He had nowhere to go from there. "Get ready to catch me, on the off-chance that I'm not dead, when I pop off this thing. Ready? on 3: 1... 2... 3-" Chell ran forward, only to discover Wheatley was still on the rail, albeit much further back from before. "That's high - it's too high! Isn't it really that. Alright going on three just gives you too much time to think about it." He shook his body and moved forward again. Chell backed up, slightly annoyed. "Ok let's go on one this time. Ready? One -CATCH ME CATCH ME CATCH ME!" Wheatley cried as he popped off his rail. "Ow." He said as he hit the ground. 

 

"Shit." Chell mumbled. She picked up him up using the portal gun's grabbing capabilities and started carrying him.

 

"I... Am not dead!" Wheatley cried happily. "Ha ha! Plug me into that stick on the wall over there, and I'll show you something." A wall opened up next to the Doctor revealing a control panel with a receptacleattached. Chell fitted Wheatley perfectly into the receptacle. "Um. Hmm. Yeah I can't do it if you're watching."

 

"What?" Bill said. 

 

"No seriously I'm not joking. If you could just, turn around? For a second?" 

 

"We'd better just do it." The Doctor said quietly. A few clicks and beeps came from the panel behind them. 

 

"Alright you can turn around now!" Wheatley said. "Bam! Secret panel! That I opened, while your backs were turned." He said smugly. Sure enough, a section of the wall opened up next to them, revealing a catwalk outside the testchamber.

 

"Brilliant!" Bill cheered. "Now we can finally leave." Chell picked up Wheatley and carried him off down the catwalk, with the Doctor and Bill in tow. 

 

"Look at this! No rail to tell us where to go!" Wheatley cried happily. "Oh this is brilliant. We can go wherever we want!" He stopped. "Hold on. Hmm. Where are we going exactly? Let me just get my bearings." He turned his body around and looked around him. "Oh. Hmm. Just follow the rail, actually."

 

The catwalk twisted around unnecessary geometry such as random vaccuum tubes and foundations, winding the team through the broken back corners of the facility. It was a lot darker back here than in the testchambers, due to the lack of bright white panels and light in general. 

 

"Hello...?" A small, high-pitched voice called from an nonoperational vaccuum tube that lay parallel to the catwalk. "Hello?"

 

"Oh no." Wheatley groaned. "Yes! Hello! Not stopping!" He called to the voice. Bill craned her neck to look ahead. She could see Chell shudder and quickly head onwards. The Doctor looked pale. "Don't make eye contact whatever you do." Wheatley whispered to the group. "Keep moving, keep moving."

 

"Hello? Hello?" The voice kept saying. It was turning into a desperate cry. Bill couldn't help but look. The voice came from a little white cylindrical shape stuck inside the tube. It had a glowing red eye with a laser pointer coming out of it. The laser pointer was flashing and the eye moving around but other than that it was dead still, like it couldn't move. "I'm different." Bill felt almost sorry for it, but was still deeply disturbed by it. Especially how it said "I'm different." 

 

" 'I'm different'. What does that mean?" Bill asked. 

 

"I don't know and I don't plan on finding out." The Doctor responded, quickening his pace. He was clearly scared, which disturbed Bill even further. Bill wondered how such a small robot could freak out the bravest person she knew. 

 

The catwalk brought them to large vault-like door, which opened from the middle upwards and downwards automatically as they approached. As it closed behind them, another door identical to it did the same. 

 

"Probably should bring you up to speed on something." Wheatley said. "In order to escape, we're probably going to have go through HER chamber and, she will probably kill us, if she's awake."

 

"By probably, do you mean definitely?" The Doctor replied.

 

"Um, how about we compromise, and settle for most likely?" Wheatley said nervously. 

 

"That'll do, I guess." The Doctor said. 

 

Through a series of windows, Bill could see a whole massive cavern of metal structures stretching further into the sky than her vision would dare give her. It was dark, and gloomy. A raised antechamber with windows all across on both sides lead to a massive chamber where GLaDOS presumably resided. There was a definitive hole in the ceiling, presumably where Chell and the Doctor had destroyed it. Chell started taking Whealtey down the path towards a door, which opened very slowly. 

 

"Ok, I'm gonna lay my cards on the table," Wheatley whispered loudly. "I don't wanna do it. I don't wanna do it!" He started to panic. "I don't wanna go in there! AH! Don't go in there!" The door opened, and Chell stepped in, cool, yet determined. "She's off! She's off! Don't panic over it, she's off." 

 

"Seems like you were the only one panicking, dude." Chell mumbled. Wheatley made a noise that resembled a gulp. 

 

"On we go." 

 

Bill looked around. A dark mist similar to the one she saw when they first arrived hung in the air above them. The ground was filthy, consisting of a mixture of dirt, vegetation, rust, and dirty water. Large bits of broken metal and concrete lay strewn everywhere. And in the centre of it all...

 

"There she is." Wheately breathed. "What a nasty piece of work she was. A proper maniac." 

 

A huge metal chassis lay in the middle of the floor, wires strung all around them, several of them sparking. A large robust piece of metal, presumably resembling a head, lay at Chell's feet. Chell kicked it. It hurt but she didn't care.

 

"That's GLaDOS?" Bill said.

 

"Yep." Chell replied, with every hint of malice in her voice. 

 

"She's twice the size of all of us combined." Bill said, with only a slight hint of panic in her voice. 

 

"The bigger they are, the harder they fall." Chell said with utmost determination. 

 

"Do you know who purged her and took her down in the end?" Wheatley asked rhetorically. "You're not gonna believe this - a human!" Wheatley chuckled, Bill laughed in response. "I know! I wouldn't have believed it either! Apparently the human escaped, and no-one has seen him since."

 

"Him?" The Doctor and Bill repeated. Bill sounded accusatory, but the Doctor was genuinely curious. Wheatley failed to elaborate. 

 

"There was a large chunk of time, where absolutely nothing happened, then there's us escaping now." Wheatley said. "So yeah you're pretty much up to speed."

 

"Oh I'm very much up to speed with this place." Chell mumbled. "Everything I need to know anyway."

 

"Down these stairs." Wheatley said, ignoring Chell completely. 

 

The stairs led them to another winding catwalk, with a seemingly bottomless pit below them. 

 

"AH! I've just looked down, do not recommend it." Wheatley cried. "AH! I've just done it again."

 

Bill looked down, and immediately regretted it. She swallowed and continued walking. 

 

"Here we are!" Wheatley called happily. "This is the main breaker room. Look for a switch that says, 'Escape pod.'" 

 

The three barely managed to fit into the tiny cubicle, so looking for a switch was practically impossible. It stretched upwards beyond their vision as well. 

 

"Don't touch anything else, alright?" Wheatley warned. After a minute of no success, Wheatley spoke again. "Can you see it anywhere? I can't see it anywhere. Tell you what, plug me in, and I'll turn the lights on." 

 

Chell plugged Wheatley in, and with a loud noise, the lights in the breaker room switched on.

 

"Let there be light!" Wheatley called. "That's uh, God. Was quoting God there." 

 

The floor suddenly turned 90 degrees, blocking their only exit. 

 

"Oh look at that, turning. Ominous." Wheatley sounded calmer than usual. "But probably fine, as long as it doesn't start moving up."

 

"Wheatley..." The Doctor said. "Stop right now, you don't know what you're doing."

 

"I got this! I got this! Now, escape pod, escaped pod..." Wheatley fumbled about, and the platform started moving up, flicking all the switches along the way. "It's moving up." Several alarms started blaring loudly. "Ok ok I got it I got it I got it!" Wheatley rushed. "This should slow it down!" He fumbled with a few buttons. "Ok no that makes it go faster. Uh oh."

 

A small door opened at the top, and they found themselves back in GLaDOS chamber.

 

"WHEATLEY!" The Doctor cried, he grabbed onto Bill and tried to run, but he was suddenly walled off.

 

"Power up initiated." The announcer called. 

 

"OK DON'T PANIC! Stop panicking! I can still fix this!" Wheatley cried.

 

"WHEATLEY FOR GOD'S SAKE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" The Doctor was freaking out, and Bill could see why. 

 

GLaDOS was turning on. 

 

"THERE'S A PASSCODE! I'll just hack it!" Wheatley cried, desperately trying to undo his terrible mistake. "Um, ok: AAAA, um A." 

 

A loud alarm blared, indicating that that was the wrong passcode. 

 

"AAAAB."

 

Another alarm. 

 

"YOU'RE JUST TRYING EVERY SINGLE COMBINATION!" Bill cried. 

 

Chell put her head into her hands and started crying. It was over. They were doomed. 

 

"Power up complete." 

 

"Okay, new plan, act natural! Act natural!" Wheatley said, clearly panicking. "Hello!" He said a little-too happily to the now functional GLaDOS.

 

"Oh, it's you." GLaDOS stared straight through Chell's soul.

 

"You know her?" Wheatley cried.

 

Chell looked up at GLaDOS, no longer crying. She looked determined and... murderous. If GLaDOS was a human, Bill wouldn't be able to tell them apart.

 

"It's been a long time, how have you been?" GLaDOS' voice was full of malice and hatred. "I've been really busy being dead. You know, after you  _murdered me._ "

 

"You did  _what!?_ _"_ Wheatley cried. 

 

Two robotic claws descended from the ceiling. One picked Wheatley up, and the other picked up the other three. GLaDOS dangled Wheatley in front of them, as if in mockery. Wheatley screamed in panic. Chell dropped the portal gun. Sparks flew from where GLaDOS has forcibly pulled Wheatley out of the receptacle. 

 

"I see you've brought some new friends this time." 

 

"Oh I'm not new, I just look different." The Doctor grimaced, trying to make his typical quips in the worst situations. GLaDOS paid no attention. 

 

"Ok, look. We've both said a lot of things you're going to regret," GLaDOS squished Wheatley with her claw, and tossed him away.

 

"WHEATLEY!" Bill screamed as he flew away and rolled towards the big door. 

 

"But I think we can put our differences behind us. For science. You monster." GLaDOS' words were directed only at Chell. She lifted them all up and carried them across the chamber. "I will say though, since you went to all the trouble of waking me up, you must really, really love to test. I love it too." There was a hint of a smile in GLaDOS voice. Whereas Wheatley's were comforting, GLaDOS' humanlike qualities were utterly terrifying. 

 

"The incinerator!" The Doctor cried. "She's going to throw us in the incinerator!" The Doctor struggled, to no avail. The claw sat high above the incinerator entrance, it's doors opening. 

 

"There's just one small thing we have to take care of first." 


	5. The Incinerator Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wheatley is dead, and GLaDOs is alive. The fate of the trio now lies in the "hands" of an all-powerful AI with a thirst for cold revenge.
> 
> It's a long way down.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Bill's screams reverberated down the long and winding pipe as they fell. The Doctor was scared but remained silent, and Chell didn't seem to care - not even when she almost got squished by two giant spiked steel plates. After half a century, they all landed one by one onto some bits of broken metal that covered their destination.

 

"Here we are." GLaDOS voice spoke loudly and clearly from somewhere above, albeit with a slight echo that bounced around the pit's ceiling. "The Incinerator Room. Try not to trip on any parts of me that didn't get completely burned when you threw them down here." 

 

"Oh sod off it was 4 small cores!" The Doctor cried. Bill knew the Doctor had a tendency to be angry, but this was extreme. Whereas Bill and the Doctor were looking upwards, supposedly at GLaDOS, Chell was looking forward, stone-faced, as she walked across the pit of molten metal. Little tubes discarding random testing items moved out of the way so they could all cross. To their left, a turret rested on the edge of a tube momentarily, before falling into the inferno below. Its screams echoed throughout the chasm, chilling Bill to her core. The Doctor looked slightly sad also, and once again Chell didn't seem to react. 

 

"Is she okay?'' Bill whispered to the Doctor. "It's like the rebirth of this, GLaDOS thing, has totally shut her down emotionally." 

 

"Well when you've been through what she's been through, you'll know." The Doctor whispered back.

 

"I can hear you, you know." Chell said without turning around. She pushed come corrugated metal aside to form an opening in the wall. She sauntered forward towards a little light near the centre of the floor. 

 

"There it is." GLaDOS said lovingly, like a mother showing her child where the teddy bear was. She moved aside some bits of broken metal and vegetation so that Chell could pick up her prize. "Good. You have a dual portal device. There should be a way back to the testing track up ahead." Chell quickly fired a portal over a wall of metal onto a white panel near the ceiling and one on the wall next to her and stepped through. 

 

"Well? You coming?" Chell asked, half of her body sticking out of the portal, her face bathed in an orange glow. Bill was too stunned at the sight to react. 

 

"Come on. We best get moving." The Doctor grabbed Bill's hand and guided her to the portal. Once they jumped down to the floor, Bill was conscious enough to walk on her own again. Chell scowled as she recognized where she was. "Oh good Lord."

 

"What is it Doctor?" Bill asked.  
  


"We've been here before." He gazed around the very tall but very narrow space before him. "This was supposed to be the final test. Before she tried to kill us - in that very incinerator room." 

 

"It's all starting to make sense now, huh?" Chell responded dryly. She continued to fire portals to give them a path, with GLaDOS providing them with openings. 

 

"Once testing starts, I am required by protocol to keep interaction with you to a minimum. Luckily, we haven't started testing yet. This will be our only chance to talk."

 

"Oh sure! Let's mull over the good times with a glass of wine why don't we!" Chell yelled. "Just drop dead you hunk of trash!" Chell was fighting back tears. 

 

GLaDOS merely chuckled. "Don't worry, the testing will only last another 60 years. That's no time in the world. For me anyway." 

 

"Bitch." Chell sneered. 

 

"Oh my, you've learned some new words since you've been away, haven't you? Ha ha ha. I shouldn't be so mean. But in my defense, you did kill me. All is fair in love and war."

 

"You know nothing of love." The Doctor cried. "You're just a soulless husk of an AI. Programmed to just test with no regards for anyone whatsoever!" Bill had never seen him so vindictive. Whatever GLaDOS did to these two... 

 

"You've certainly changed a lot haven't you? Two hearts? Now that is intriguing." GLaDOS said nonchalantly. "Also, I suppose that statement is partly true. I don't have time to care about anyone when I'm running such a large facility. You may be smart, Doctor, but there's still so much you don't know. Anyway, back to testing. Looks like you were clever enough to find the elevator. I'm shocked."

 

The three made their way down a catwalk to the elevator. 

 

"I'll see you three very soon."


	6. Sarcasm and Lasers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> GLaDOS is in the process of rebuilding the facility before the test subjects' very eyes. The three have no choice but to push forward, ignoring - and sometimes not ignoring - her snide remarks and insults along the way.

"Sorry about the mess." GLaDOS said as the three exited the elevator. Bits of metal and sparking wires hung from the ceiling and almost smacked the Doctor in the face. "I've really let the place go since you killed me. By the way, thanks for that."

 

"Sarcasm self-test complete." The announcer chimed in with no hesitation.

 

"Oh good. That's back online. I'll start working on getting everything else working again you perform this first simple test." Bits of metal groaned and scraped along as GLaDOS removed the vaporising ball thrower and catcher out of the testing room. "It involves deadly lasers, and how test subjects react when locked in a room with deadly lasers." 

 

The ceiling was mostly exposed to the harsh sunlight from above, reflecting off the clear brown water, leaving an awkward shimmer. A small platform which looked comparatively new to its surroundings stuck up from the centre at the far end. Bill and the Doctor watched in awe as the ball catcher and thrower were replaced a large red laser and a laser catcher. 

 

"Same concept, but more efficient and less dangerous." The Doctor shrugged. 

 

"Come stand on this platform over here." Chell called standing on the raised platform. 

 

"Ugh. More disgusting water." Bill gagged as she waded through muddy water. "At least the boots stop my pants from getting wet." 

 

Chell fired a platform on the floor where the laser was pointing at and another one on the ceiling just above the laser catcher, activating it. Slowly, the platform underneath started rising up, taking Bill by surprise. 

 

"Not bad. I forgot how good you are at this." GLaDOS voice chimed in condescendingly. "You should pace yourself, though. We have a LOT of tests to do." 

 

"Sounds wonderful." Bill groaned. She could see why Chell hated her so much. 

 

"This next test involves discouragement redirection cubes. I just finished building them before you had your, well, episode." 

 

"More where that came from." Chell mumbled under her breath.

 

"So now we'll both get to see how they work. There should be one in the corner." 

 

Behind a wall of broken metal lay a cube sitting on the ground. It looked a lot different to the other ones they were used to. It was roughly the same size as a regular cube, but it had circular glass discs on each face.

 

"Hey that's-" Bill pointed to a bit of wall that was being replaced. A blue light quickly whirred past her from behind the small panel.

 

"What?" Chell asked.

 

"I just thought I saw something. Never mind."

 

"Mirrors. That's pretty cool." The Doctor said casually, admiring the new box. 

 

"What do we do with it?" Bill asked.

 

"This." Chell picked up the cube and walked over to the laser and dropped it. The end of the laser was now pointing towards the wall, singeing Bill's jeans as it moved. Bill swore loudly and jumped, causing Chell to giggle cheekily. 

 

"Incredible. It reflects the laser inside of the box enough times so that it refracts out the prism on that face." The Doctor pointed to the cube, clearly enthralled by it. "See if you can point it at the catcher-thing over there and see what it does." 

 

"It activates this staircase over here look." Bill said, and started walking up the stairs as they ascended up to her one by one. "Looks like there's a button for a cube up here. I think it opens the door. Come up here with see." 

 

"I already know what to do. After you, Doctor." Chell said. The Doctor nodded, and walked up to meet Bill, and Chell followed. "Watch this." Chell winked at Bill. She shot a portal just in front of her on the ground, and then one underneath the cube. The cube fell through the portal and up towards Chell, who grabbed it and put it on the button. "See? Clever, huh?"

 

Bill didn't have time to do show how impressed she is because GLaDOS decided to IMMEDIATELY give her opinion.

 

"Well done. Here come the test results: You are horrible people. That's what it says - Horrible people. We weren't even testing for that." 

 

"Freak." Chell snarled. 

 

"Don't let that horrible person thing discourage you. It's just a data point. If it makes you feel any better, science has now validated your birth mother's deci-" 

 

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I DON'T CARE! I LITERALLY CANNOT WAIT TO MURDER YOU AGAIN YOU SACK OF METALLIC TRASH! SHUT UP!" Chell screamed.

 

"Oh my. You're certainly a lot more talkative since the last time we met." GLaDOS replied smugly. "Clearly your brain degeneration from the relaxation vault you were trapped in must have done something to you. So at least we have that. In the meantime, why don't you reflect on some music? I believe there's a radio in this testchamber." 

 

A loose panel in the wall lead to a small little room with drawings on the walls. 

 

"These are much more disturbing than the ones we saw before." The Doctor pointed out.

 

"Well he probably did go insane, running around the facility for so long with no way out." Chell replied.

 

"Who, sorry?" Bill asked. 

 

"My dad. He saved my life. I thought he died with the others but..." Chell trailed off.

 

"I'll explain it." The Doctor said, and began explaining to Bill everything that happened to Chell's father and GLaDOS. 

 

"Oh my God that's horrible... So he was just, running? For how long?" Bill asked after he finished.

 

"Can't have been too long. He had a bullet wound in his leg and he would have been compromised by the neurotoxin. Probably what drove him insane." 

 

"But... How do we know all those drawings are by him? Surely he can't have done everything?" 

 

"That's a good question Bill. These don't look like stuff he would do."

 

Chell shuddered. "Well then who?"

 

They didn't dare answer. The radio humming in the corner broke the silence. 

 

"Hey I know that song..." Bill said, walking over to radio and picking it up. 

 

"At least it's not that godawful tune." Chell rubbed her shoulders, which were thick with sweat. 

 

"That's Exile Vilify by The National." Bill said. "I remember listening to that song a few years ago - back at home I mean. Why the hell is it playing on a radio so many years in the future?" 

 

"Bill don-" The Doctor tried to say.

 

"Doc, it's fine." Chell interrupted. "I think I got pretty quick that you guys are time travelers. I live in a facility run by a giant AI and I run around white rooms with a gun that fires portals you can run and jump through. Nothing surprises me anymore." Chell shrugs. 

 

"But-" 

 

"You really think I'm gonna mess around with time after all this?" Chell responded. "I know what happens when you try and play God." 

 

"You get verbally tormented by an all-powerful AI set out to kill you after you murdered it?" Bill asked, only half-joking. 

 

"Exactly." Chell smiled. 

 

"Anyway." Bill said, chucking the radio on the ground. "That song is creeping me out." 

 

A few minutes later, the test was solved. 

 

"Here comes GLaDOS, with her usual bullshit."  

 

"Congratulations. Not on the test. Most people come out of emerge from suspension terribly undernourished. I want to congratulate you on beating the odds and somehow managing to pack on a few pounds." 

 

Bill looked at Chell's skinny but athletic form and scoffed. "She looks like an MMA fighter and professional sprinter." Bill thought to herself. 

 

"This next test involves the Aperture Science Aerial Faith Plate." GLaDOS said, almost bored. "It was part of an initiative to investigate how well test subjects could solve problems when they were catapulted into space. Results were very informative: They could not. Good luck!"

 

"New way to plummet to our deaths, I suppose." Bill said. 

 

Within seconds, Chell had come flying back with a box in her hand. "Come on! It's actually kind of fun!" 

 

"I'd actually rather n-" Bill couldn't even finish before Chell grabbed her hand and jumped onto the faith plate, firing them high into the air. "Oooohh my God!" Bill screamed. She was flying right over a pit of toxic sludge that would kill her pretty quickly, at such an incredible speed from such an incredible height. It terrified her, then again so did a lot about this place.

 

The Doctor watched them and laughed. He looked around the large room he was in. Bits of wall and ceiling on the far sides were falling off and quickly being replaced by newer, cleaner panels. "She's rebuilding the place." He thought grimly. "And really quickly too." He shook off the thought. He knew they wouldn't have to put up with the tests for long - that they'd find a way out. He jumped on to the aerial faith plate and flew over to the others, where Chell was placing the box on the button and Bill holding the wall taking several breaths. 

 

"I told you... to warn me... the next time... you did that!" Bill cried between breaths. Chell only laughed. 

 

"At least there's one good thing out of this miserable mess we're in." The Doctor thought. "Bill and Chell are getting along well. Chell is being her usual cheeky self and Bill is receiving it... nicely." The Doctor smiled. He licked his finger and held it up to the air. "Fake. I knew it. I can taste how stale it is." He stepped in through the door, with Chell and Bill in tow. 


	7. The Melody of the Cube

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old "friend" returns.

When the three exited out the elevator, they were out of breath, but surprisingly calm. Aside from Bill, who was still reeling slightly from her faith plate flight. 

 

"Did you know that people with guilty consciousness are easily startled by loud noi-"

 

" _NYOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"_ The immediately and very loud sound of a passing train caused the Doctor to jump, and Bill to scream. Chell almost laughed, but considering it was GLaDOS, chose not to emote at all. 

 

"I'm sorry. I don't know why that went off." GLaDOS said, not even trying to hide her amusement. "Anyway, just an interesting science fact."

 

In the distance, a dropper dropped a large cube from quite a height. It came down with a loud "THUD" on the ground. It was very similar to the cubes they saw at the beginning, except-

 

"COMPANION CUBE!" Chell cried, running over to the grey and pink cube. Bill was very confused as to why she was so excited by a cube. 

 

"We tested with one of these back in the other test chamber. Used it to climb onto walls, block deadly projectiles, it was quite helpful really. Chell was quite... enthralled... by it. Just like her father judging by the drawings." The Doctor explained. "After a while even I became quite fascinated with it. That is- my old self did. He was a bit more wild and fanatic than I was."

 

"Oh. Did I accidentally fizzle that before you could finish the test?" GLaDOS said smugly as the cube disintegrated before Chell's very eyes. "I'm sorry. Go ahead and grab another one." 

 

"And then she made us throw the cube into the incinerator." 

 

Bill opened her mouth in shock- and she wasn't really sure why. She didn't understand the connection Chell had with the cube, but seeing how Chell reacted to seeing it destroyed as she tried to grab it made her feel horrified. "Why was GLaDOS so cruel?" She thought. "Even before Chell killed her." 

 

Another cube dropped from the ceiling, landing just in front of Chell's feet with another loud thud. Chell was hesitant at first, but then picked it up with the portal gun. Bill and the Doctor approached here, carefully stepping over the laser in the middle of the floor. 

 

"HEY THAT'S-!" Bill suddenly cried, pointing at the wall in front of them. "I swear I saw Wheatley. In the walls, hurrying along the rail."

 

"Wheatley was crushed by GLaDOS claw. You saw it. There's no way he could have lived." Chell said, clutching the cube for dear life.

 

"But I swear..." Bill trailed off, giving up. She looked at the cube, and now noticed the pink squares in the middle of each face had a love heart in the centre. She couldn't help but feel happy about that. 

 

"It seems that laser catcher is connected to that elevator up there." The Doctor pointed. "Here, block the laser with the cube so it can come down." 

 

Chell dropped the cube into the path of the laser, and watched it disintegrate.

 

"Oh no, I fizzled that one too." GLaDOS said. She had clearly been waiting to do that. "Oh well. We have warehouses full of the things. Absolutely worthless. I'm happy to get rid of them." 

 

"Bastard." Chell said under her breath. She quickly grabbed the cube out of the sky as it fell and immediately blocked the laser. The platform promptly descended, and they all walked onto it. Chell fired a portal underneath the cube and let it fall out so that the laser could lift them up. When they all got off, Chell fired a cube onto one of the angled platforms at the top and let the cube fall onto the ground in front of it, just teetering on the edge off the pit. 

 

"Hey there's a button over here." Bill said. "Let me fly up there and I'll see what happens when I stand on it." 

 

Chell nodded, and fired a portal onto the ground at the bottom below where Bill was standing. The Doctor noticed this chamber was a lot more dilapidated than the previous ones they had done after GLaDOS' reboot. He wondered if that was deliberate. He walked over to Chell as she grabbed the cube, briefly watching Bill fly over his head and landing perfectly on the button on the platform above. 

 

"Looks it raises that platform up there." Bill shouted and pointed to her left. 

 

"Ah I see." The Doctor looked at where she was pointing. "Looks like you can fly up there now Chell."

 

"Hold on, Doc. Do you hear that?" Chell went silent to try and listen to the sound, as did the Doctor. "That like, humming sound?"

 

"I think it's... singing." The Doctor whispered, surprised. "Is the companion cube... singing to us?" He questioned not anyone in particular.

 

"It... it might be..." Chell thought. It was hard to tell, but there was definitely a melody emanating from around the cube, imitating a lovely tune. 

 

"Oi oi!" Bill cried suddenly, interrupting them. "That emancipation grid thingy is broken! You can take your cube with you!" 

 

Chell stared wide-eyed at the Doctor. "Oh you know I have to. I'm not letting this thing get burned up again."

 

The Doctor just shrugged.

 

"It sang to me, Doc."

 

The Doctor shrugged again. "You do you, my darling." The Doctor smiled. 

 

Chell placed her portals and jumped over to the platform that Bill had extended out for her. 

 

"Uh oh. You're stranded. Let's see if the cube will try to help YOU escape." GLaDOS spoke mockingly. "Actually, so that we're not here all day, I'll just cut to the chase: It won't. Any feelings you think it has for you are simply byproducts of your sad, empty life. Anyway, here's a new cube for you to project your deranged loneliness onto." 

 

Chell watched the cube once again disintegrate in her hands as yet another cube dropped from the ceiling. "I'VE JUST ABOUT FUCKING HAD IT WITH YOU!" Chell screamed. She jumped back down and grabbed the cube again, jumping over to where Bill was standing and dropped the cube on the button. "There. Now let's go." Chell snarled.

 

Bill was offended, but didn't bother chastising her for yelling. They made their way to the exit, and Chell sneakily leaned over and grabbed the cube off the button before rejoining the others. Bill smiled at her. 

 

"Every testchamber is equipped with an emancipation grill at its exit, so that test subjects can't smuggle test objects out of the test area. This one is broken." GLaDOS explained. "Don't take anything with you." GLaDOS warned.

 

Chell simply smirked, and walked towards the elevator, cube in hand.

 

Which then disintegrated.

 

"I think that one was about to say, 'I love you.' They ARE sentient, of course. We just have a lot of them." 

 

"GLaDOS just has to get one last dig in, doesn't she?" The Doctor sighed. 

 

The three entered the elevator in solemn silence, and watched as they were sent down further into the facility. As the elevator started approaching the next chamber, it stopped. The whole shaft shook violently and the lights went out. 

 

"Oh no. The turbines again. I have to go. Wait, this next test DOES require some explanation. Let me give you the fast version." GLaDOS then proceeded to speak at such a rate that no human nor time lord could understand anything she said. "There. If you have any questions, just remember what I said in slow motion. Test on your recognisance. I'll be right back." 

 

"Could you at least get us out of the elevator?" Bill cried, but GLaDOS was paying no attention. 

 

"Hold on. I got this." The Doctor aimed his sonic screwdriver at the elevator doors, opening on command. 

 

"Now why didn't you tell me you had that earlier?" Chell asked.

 

"There was a period of time when I didn't have one." The Doctor replied. "This thing doesn't really respond well to this place anyway." 

 

"Like the TARDIS?" Bill asked.

 

"Sort of." The Doctor shrugged. "Try and see if you can squeeze through. I'm afraid I can't make it go any lower."

 

Chell lay down against the wall of the elevator, sliding her legs out the gap and through the hole. After several groans and a bump on her knee, she managed to get through and onto the ground. "You next, Bill. I'll help you." 

 

"Alright then." 

 

Within a few minutes, they were on the ground, safe. The lights came on and the elevator doors closed, continuing it's journey downward.

 

"Well that was a waste of our time." The Doctor said aloud. "Anyway, let's continue." 

 

The three walked past a panel that was slamming itself repeatedly against a wall, desperately trying to fit. It glowed red, almost like it was angry.

 

"That's weird." Bill said. Bill's thoughts were interrupted by the cheerful cry from Chell somewhere high up.

 

"WHEATLEY!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only just occurred to me I never wrote about the companion cube in the first story...


End file.
